The entire CIA backed coup against Musharraf was for this very purpose. He had always resisted this U.S. desire despite his dangerously close and lopsided relationship with U.S.===============================================================

Dear Alamdar Sahab and Dear Zaid Sahab,

Mr Zaid Hamid in his article above clearly supported Rampant Military Dictator General Musharraf and his Military Regime whose Mismanagement has put Pakistan itself at stake. One hand you declare that Pakistani Talibans are CIA agents but would you like to enlighten all of us as to why your hero [General Musharraf Military Regime] appointed a Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz [American National] who is a known friend of Flaming Zionist and Rabid Israel Supporter in USA i.e. U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz? As a Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz was allowed by General Musharraf's Military Regime allowed Shaukat Aziz visited Kahuta Labs as Finance Minister.

Shaukat Aziz, than only a Finance Minister, treaded, where the angels fear to tread, to say nothing of the elected Prime Ministers of Pakistan. Traditionally, the military has kept the Prime Ministers at an arm’s length from its nuclear program. But Shaukat Aziz, acting as an American proxy, inspected Kahuta and submitted the requisite guarantees to the Americans. Now if anybody still harbours any doubts as to the purpose of the induction of Aziz is living in a cuckoo- land, to be charitable.

What happened in Pakistan with Dr. A.Q. Khan, with Pakistan’s nuclear program, Iran’s nuclear program and the shipment of used centrifuges to Vienna to IAEA head office for their inspection has been reported in national and international press. However, what has not been probed is Shaukat Aziz’s visit to Kahuta Labs. All other events followed Shaukat Aziz’s visit to Kahuta Lab, which is enough to cast doubts on Shaukat Aziz and General Musharraf who shrewdly swept everything under the rug by staging a drama around Dr. A.Q. Khan. What is it that general Musharraf tried to hide through this drama? Why general Musharraf paved a way for Shaukat Aziz to become a Prime Minister of Pakistan?

Before Musharraf's visit to the US [Camp David Visit], Shaukat Aziz, his confidante and finance minister, visited the A Q Khan Research Laboratories at Kahuta against which sanctions had been imposed by the US earlier this year because of its collusion with North Korea in the field of missiles. In the past, the military maintained total control over Pakistan's nuclear and missile establishments and never allowed any of its civilian leaders to visit them even during years when an elected government was in power. Neither Benazir Bhutto nor Nawaz Sharif had ever been taken into confidence by the military and the scientific community rigidly controlled by it and allowed to visit any of the sensitive nuclear and missile establishments.

I wonder how would you define this?

Shaukat Aziz

Position: Senator

Party Affiliation: PML(Q) (Pakistan Muslim League--Quaide Azam)

His nationality: His critics allege he is an American national of Pakistani origin. So was Moeen Quereshi, who became the caretaker Prime Minister after the dismissal of Nawaz Sharif in 1993. Quereshi made no secret of his American nationality. Aziz does not admit it.

His proximity to Musharraf: His critics allege that he had helped Musharraf's brother, son and wife in acquiring property in the US and that is how he came to the favourable notice of the General. Neither Aziz nor Musharraf have commented on this.

His proximity to the US: He is projected as the USA's cat's paw. His being used by Musharraf since last year for exercising ostensible civilian supervision over the Kahuta uranium enrichment plant has come in for considerable suspicion as to the real reasons for it. The question often posed is: Did Musharraf himself entrust this task to him or was this suggested by the US?

His overseas assets: While filing his nomination for election to the Senate, the upper House of Parliament, in 2002, Aziz had declared his overseas assets as follows: A flat in the UK worth Pakistani Rs10.84 million, an apartment in New York worth Rs10.1 million, a bungalow in the Defense Society, of Karachi, worth Rs3.5 million, a plot in Karachi worth Rs500,000, a bank account in the UK with a balance of 310,000 pounds and another in the US Citibank with a balance of three million dollars. With the help of statements from real estate experts in New York, his critics have allged that his New York flat must be worth at least between five and 10 million US dollars as against the value of US $ 1,75,000 declared by him and demanded an enquiry by the National Accountability Bureau set up by Musharraf to investigate political wrong-doing. They point out that while Musharraf has been getting political leaders belonging to the parties of Benazir and Nawaz harassed by the Bureau on charges of false declaration of assets, he has ignored the charges against Aziz.

LONDON: Former prime minister Shaukat Aziz is learnt to have reacted sharply and furiously over statements by Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi blaming him for the flour, power and other burning economic crises in the country.

An insider claimed that Aziz was very disturbed over the fiery statements of the former chief minister of Punjab with regard to Aziz's role in these crises rocking the country and the government.

Having no idea how to reply to these charges levelled to tarnish his image politically, a virtually bewildered Aziz is said to have talked to President Musharraf in Islamabad on phone to complain about Pervaiz Elahi, who according to his understanding was trying to make him a scapegoat in the eyes of the public to win votes.

One phone call from former prime minister from London worked wonders as Musharraf is said to have talked to Pervaiz Elahi because the president was made to believe that indirectly Elahi's criticism of Aziz and his policies was also bringing bad name for Musharraf and his own government as well. Pervaiz did not repeat his accusations against Shaukat Aziz after this call.

Though his line to the president of Pakistan is still open, after governing Pakistan for well over eight long years, first as the finance and then as head of the government, Shaukat Aziz has failed to generate any interest about his presence in London, both in the Pakistani community or the media, unlike Benazir Bhutto or Nawaz Sharif.

He has been living in Knightsbridge since he arrived here on Jan 6 and quietly left for Davos to attend the economic development forum meetings. Nawaz and Benazir, two popular leaders of Pakistan, were always mobbed by members of the local community and the media on a daily basis during their stay in London whether they liked it or not. But, on the other hand, Aziz is yet to be visited by the common Pakistanis or the media persons. No one even knows his home address in London.

Aziz is presently living in one of the most expensive areas of London, adjacent to the majestic building of the Pakistan High Commission. He owns a big multi million-pound house in addition to two others in New York and Islamabad where he acquired a multi million rupee farm house at Chak Shahzad.

But he is almost isolated in London after remaining confined to four walls of the big prime minister house at the Margalla Hills. He himself told a gathering of the bankers and businessmen at the residence of Dr Maleeha Lodhi last week that he owned three houses and would keep on shuttling between London, Islamabad and New York -- a subtle message that he was still interested in Pakistan and its politics.

He was furious when one newspaper published a story that he had set up a business firm in Dubai as it gave an impression that he might not be interested in politics any more. The interesting thing about Aziz's stay in London is that so far he has attended only two receptions -ñ one at the residence of Dr Maleeha Lodhi and the other a lunch with the team of a London based weekly magazine -- The Economist. The Pakistani media was once again missing from these two occasions.

The participants of the dinner given in honour of Aziz at Maleeha's residence were all acquaintances of Aziz as he is said to have approved the list. All those who attended Maleeha's dinner belonged to the business and banking sectors, including Sir Anwar Pervaz and Mian Mohammad Mansha.

Interestingly, on both these low-profile occasions, he ensured that Pakistani journalists were not invited to avoid embarrassing questions about the prevalent social unrest back home in Pakistan which he had left behind.

Meanwhile, the interesting aspect of Aziz's stay in London is that even a large number of journalists working for the Pakistani newspapers and private television channels did not show any interest in meeting Aziz or interviewing him, as they usually used to do in the case of both Benazir and Nawaz. It is very surprising to see that if former prime minister is keeping journalists at a distance, they too are hardly interested in meeting him. For many observers it is a strange situation to explain.

Aziz was advised to stay away from Pakistani media based in London, and he is religiously following this "friendly advice" of one of his former ministers. Aziz was told that his interaction with the Pakistani media at this stage when the country was facing serious crises of gas, power, energy, wheat and mayhem on the streets, hardly one month after his departure from office might create embarrassing situation for him and his sympathisers back home in Pakistan.